Fire Destroys Nairobi Airport's International Arrivals Hall

No loss of life occurred, and the Kenya Airports Authority announced it expected cargo and domestic services to resume today from the airport.

Aug 07, 2013

A major fire destroyed the international arrivals hall at the busiest international airport in East Africa, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on the outskirts of Nairobi, on Aug. 7. The Kenya Airports Authority posted a statement saying Kenya's president, Uhuru Kenyatta, visited the scene "and was dismayed by the disruption and damage caused by the fire."

The statement is attributed to Manoah Esipisu, secretary of communication and State House spokesperson. "To the thousands of passengers, including tourists, whose journeys were disrupted, the President shares your concerns and regrets the inconvenience," it states. "We are concerned that the incident interrupted travellers schedules and appreciate that they are being routed to their destinations as soon as is possible. President Kenyatta wishes to inform all stakeholders and Kenyans that the fire has been contained. The cause of the fire is being investigated. There is no reason to speculate at this point. There was no loss of life."

It says contingency measures have been put in place to return the airport to normal operations, and cargo and domestic services are expected to resume from this airport this afternoon from the cargo terminal. "A time-frame for the resumption of international flights will be relayed later. However, the Kenya Civil Aviation has granted clearance for the use of Unit 3 for international departures and arrivals. We want to guarantee the safety and security of all passengers, and that is our most important consideration at this time," the statement says.

The airport is located about 9 miles southeast of Nairobi's central business district.